Private vs. Community College

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Hi everyone!

I'm needing some advice from experienced students. I am a mother of 2 and business owner, but I have decided to finally pursue my career in nursing and I'm so excited & nervous! Ideally I would like to attend a private school and finish sooner. I have registered at Saddleback community college in Irvine, but I have a friend who told me about CNI in orange. Has anyone attended this private school or any you recommend? What advice can you guys give me to find the right school/program? Thanks in advance.

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Specializes in Mental health, substance abuse, geriatrics, PCU.

I'm not familiar with either of those schools, but what I would consider more than anything is the cost of school. Community colleges will generally give you pretty good bang for your buck. Private schools, in my opinion are really only worth it if the degree conferred is a BSN because usually private schools that have an ADN program are quite expensive. 

I don't think one education is superior to the other, I've worked with excellent nurses from all types of programs, just be careful with how much debt you get saddled with.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

The other question is, how easy is it to get accepted?  My CC has far more applications than slots.  Way less expensive though, and we have both Assoc. and BSN programs. 

How is the private one faster?  everyone has to have a certain minimum number of classroom and clinical hours.  Is it accredited?

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Specializes in Critical Care.

For some reason CNI's RN to BSN is accredited, but it's not clear their ADN program is.  Their website says the program is accredited by ABHES, which isn't one of the two 'legitimate' accreditation groups (ACEN and CCNE).  Typically an RN to BSN program requires some number of hours working as a nurse, so it would appear possible you might complete the ADN program and then have trouble getting the hours needed to enter their accredited program (RN to BSN).  You also wouldn't be able to attend a different RN to BSN program since other schools may not recognize the ABHES accreditation.  

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Have you met with counselors at both colleges?

 

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Thank you all for the info this helps a lot! I have a meeting with my counselor tomorrow at Saddleback community college, and plan to speak to the private schools and get some answers. The ADN at CNI is 20 months, and is $79K, my friend told me she got in with a 75% on her TEAS exam. Im assuming the cc is so much more competitive because of the price and how many students are applying for the nursing programs. I hope I'm making the right decision whoever I decide to go with

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79K for an ADN!!!! I mean if you have that kind of money sure but wowzers that is a big chunk of change.

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Specializes in Mental health, substance abuse, geriatrics, PCU.
18 hours ago, AdiiChavez said:

Thank you all for the info this helps a lot! I have a meeting with my counselor tomorrow at Saddleback community college, and plan to speak to the private schools and get some answers. The ADN at CNI is 20 months, and is $79K, my friend told me she got in with a 75% on her TEAS exam. Im assuming the cc is so much more competitive because of the price and how many students are applying for the nursing programs. I hope I'm making the right decision whoever I decide to go with

79k is problematic price for tuition for a couple reasons. For one, the starting salary for an RN in most places in the U.S. is NOT going to be 79k and it's usually a very bad idea to take out loans to cover an education that will cost more than your starting salary. Also, 79k for an Associate's is a pure scam plain and simple, many people complete their education at an undergraduate and graduate (bachelors and master's) for less than that simply by going to local state/public colleges. 

Now, I don't know your financial situation, and it's none of my business. But most people looking to further their education in nursing are trying to improve their financial stability and lifestyle, if that's the case having a 79k education is just simply not the way to go, even if you have to wait a little longer by going the CC route. It took me longer to get through the RN program going through the CC but I graduated with no debt so it was definitely worth it.

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Thank you! Yes I have decided to go the cc route, Im going to go with my gut feeling and I definitely don't want to be in any debt. Appreciate your response ?

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3 hours ago, AdiiChavez said:

Thank you! Yes I have decided to go the cc route, Im going to go with my gut feeling and I definitely don't want to be in any debt. Appreciate your response ?

Good!  Keep in mind that the CC programs are usually much more competitive, which also means your classmates are more likely to be smart and motivated, and overall keep standards high.  This typically leads to higher NCLEX pass rates, and a better reputation for the program, and an easier time getting a desirable job after graduation.  

While there are times when a private nursing program is worth it, $79k for an ADN is just preying on people's dreams and desperation (my ABSN was half that).

Another option for you to consider is a public college BSN.  It's probably more expensive than the CC, but would be better value than the private ADN you describe.  Sometimes you can get in as a transfer student. Usually the hands-on part of the nursing program is the last two years, so assuming you have credits for general courses and prerequisites, you aren't necessarily doing 4 years there, even if it's a traditional 4-year BSN.

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Specializes in LTC.

Save your money go to a community college. Private schools are a waste of money and generally not as good because they can hire anyone they want to teach, and instructors don’t need to have a teaching credential. 

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6 hours ago, Crystal-Wings said:

Save your money go to a community college. Private schools are a waste of money and generally not as good because they can hire anyone they want to teach, and instructors don’t need to have a teaching credential. 

Hold on a minute - don't lump all private schools together. 

You're also confusing public/private at the university level with public/private in younger grades. Public k-12 teachers need certification.  University instructors, public or private, do not need to take a single course on how to teach.  For nursing, all instructors (public or private) must have at least an MSN (in my state anyway), but none of them need to know doodly squat about teaching.  I went to a public nursing school, and only one of my professors had her MSN in nursing education. Everyone else was some other variety of MSN, DNP or PhD.

Now, I agree that when it comes to nursing, the publicly-funded schools tend to be high caliber. They're usually less expensive, which makes them attractive, which makes them competitive, which generally means the whole cohort is comprised of strong students, which elevates the level of the program, which generates more interest, which makes it more competitive, which makes stronger students apply - and so on.  

Private nursing programs can run the gamut from sketchy for-profit places that will take anyone with a pulse and a tuition check to highly prestigious universities like Yale, Duke, etc.

In this situation, I agree OP is better off in a community college than in the private program she was considering, but there are still many reputable private nursing programs out there.

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